A new car out of Mahindra will be the first compact SUV in the Indian market. Initially codenamed S101, the Mahindra KUV100 can be reserved for Rs. 10,000 and will start being delivered as of January 30, 2016.
Mahindra KUV100 Also Introduces A New Family of Diesel and Gas Engines
The Indian car maker is also introducing the mFALCON line of engines, mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. There’s no automatic transmission available yet, but it may be in the near future. The car’s cost is between Rs. 400,000 and Rs. 700,000. The official launch date for the Mahindra KUV100 is January 15, 2016.
The Mahindra KUV100 Specs
The car is bulky, fitting of its class. It features to string body lines that curve into the side profile. The car comes in orange, red, silver, white, grey, black and blue. The teaser image of the car displays alloy wheels, and its headlamp has DRLs that are extended for the mFALCON badge on the side. The car’s grille is similar to the Mahindra XUV’s though it is slightly smaller to hold the Mahindra emblem. The car features a new fog lamp unit, which is located in the bumper, and has a rectangular look.
The Mahindra KUV100 has ABS standard in all of its four variations and has the option of airbags on all versions of the car.
The New mFALCON Engines
The new engines are G80 gas and D75 diesel models. The G80 gas is a 1.2-liter 3-cylinder engine that supports 82bhp at 5,500rpm. It has 114Nm of torque at 3,500rpm. The D75 diesel engine is a 1.2-liter 3-cylinder turbo block that goes up to 77bhp at 3,750pm It has 190Nm of torque between 1,750rpm and 2,250rpm. There hasn’t been any information released on the quality and efficiency of these engines, and there won’t be any until January 15, 2016, when the Mahindra KUV100 is officially launched.
This New Car Bears Resemblance to the Jeep Patriot
This car reminds Western eyes of the Jeep Patriot. The same bulky model and vibrant colors make the Mahindra look familiar. It’s meant for Indian terrain, which can range from flat, straight roads to bulky mountains to muddy forests to ice and desert. The Jeep Patriot probably wouldn’t fare as well as a Range Rover in most of those terrains. The Mahindra KUV100, though, is surely equipped to be able to take anything. The Indian car industry isn’t very well known in the West, but excitement is very high for this upcoming car.
After converting the coin, the average price for the Mahindra KUV100 is around $10,000, which puts it on par few cars in its class. You can find a car for that price in a Honda sedan or a Dodge, but this is surely an unbeatable price for its kind and price.
Mahindra KUV100 Will Beat Out the Likes of Ford and Hyundai
In the Indian market, the KUV100 is expected to quickly outsell the Ford Figo, Hyundai Grand i10, the Maruti Swift and the Tata Zica. In terms of quality, there’s not much that can be said for the car before it is released.
2016 Promises to Be An Exciting Year for India
It’ll be an exciting year for Mahindra with the introduction of this new family of cars and these new engines. Not only that, but the Indian automotive industry will be seeing many changes.
India is going from being the second most unconnected country in the world to being a top contender for the latest technology. Google is already planning to test its Project Loon in Indian soil, and all sorts of new investments are coming in to match Indian technology to the West and China.
